The present invention relates in general to containers for packaging refrigerated dough products, and a method of forming the same.
The art of constructing dough containers is well known. Dough containers fall into two general categories. They include peelable and no-peel containers. Peelable containers generally require removal of the outer layer before the container can be opened, whereas the no-peel containers do not.
Dough containers must be sufficiently strong to prevent premature rupturing and must also be easily opened. Several designs have been proposed to prevent premature rupture. One such design employs a technique of placing an inner liner seam, a butt joint and an outer label seam out of register with one another. By placing the seams out of register, the container has sufficient strength to prevent premature rupturing during shipment and storage.
An example of a dough container in which the seams are placed out of register is disclosed in Zoeller et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,102,818. The Zoeller et al. patent discloses a container having an outer label layer, a tear element for weakening the label layer, a fiberboard core layer, and an inner liner. Seams of the outer label layer, the fiberboard core layer and the inner liner are out of register. The outer layer is modified along the butt joint to facilitate opening. One example of modification includes gluing a tear element to the label layer. When the tear element is pulled, the label layer tears and the container is weakened along the butt joint. The container may then be opened by application of a moderate indenting force to the butt joint.
Another dough container design employs a technique of partially reinforcing the butt joint to prevent premature rupturing of the container. An example of this technique is disclosed in Culley et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,510,050. Culley et al. discloses a container having a fiberboard core layer including a helical butt joint. Tensile members are positioned over at least a portion of the butt joint. The tensile members straddle the butt joint and are positioned on either the inner surface of the fiberboard layer, the outer surface of the fiberboard layer or both. The seams of the fiberboard layer, the inner liner and label layer are all in register. The tensile members which reinforce the butt joint are attached by means of a hot melt adhesive. When a sufficient force is applied to a point along the butt joint, the tensile member ruptures and the container opens.